There was a moment before Robert Mak scored, when if you squinted through driving rain lit up by the Allianz Stadium floodlights, you could have sworn you were watching a game in Europe.
Melbourne Victory’s 3-2 win over Sydney FC at the new Allianz Stadium was exactly the start to the new season the A-League Men needed.
Not because the football was of an especially high quality, or because new foreign signings like Mak, Joe Lolley and Nani all had an influence on the game.
No, the reason Saturday night’s instant classic was must-watch football was because the 21,000 fans inside Sydney’s glittering new stadium were fully invested.
How could they not be?
On a night when one of the round’s other fixtures had already been postponed due to the inclement weather, fans of the A-League’s two best-supported clubs turned Allianz Stadium into a cacophony of noise.
It was the sort of atmosphere you experience at games in Europe – and exactly what the Australian leagues should be advertising.
And the febrile vibe around the ground undoubtedly inspired the players, as former Sky Blues midfielder Josh Brillante side-footed home the winner late on to secure a gripping come-from-behind victory for the visitors.
Credit must go to the hordes of travelling Victory supporters, who turned their corner of the new stadium into a wall of non-stop noise.
Their support was more than matched by the 20,000 fans in Sky Blue, who turned out under torrential skies to christen the new stadium.
It’s a stadium every away fan in the competition should try and visit at least once this season, because it’s such a demonstrable upgrade on the old Sydney Football Stadium.
A-League fans. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)
For all the talk about football rarely getting a fair go in Australia, Allianz Stadium could hardly have been more welcoming in rolling out the sky blue carpet for its new co-tenants.
Yes, there were some teething problems – certain sightlines were less than perfect, while the much-vaunted roof didn’t exactly keep every spectator dry amid cyclonic second-half conditions.
But having attended the game on Saturday night, I’m confident in stating the new stadium is suddenly the best venue in the A-League.
I also happened to attend the NRL grand final last weekend, and the difference in atmospheres between the two occasions was stark.
The build-up to the NRL decider was impressive, but as is always the case with any rugby league game, you could hear a pin drop the second the action kicked off – and for the next 80 minutes.
It didn’t stop Daily Telegraph columnist Phil Rothfield from comically claiming the NRL decider produced “the loudest atmosphere” inside the Olympic stadium since Cathy Freeman won gold, conveniently overlooking the fact the Socceroos downed Uruguay and won an Asian Cup at the same venue.
But the A-Leagues should pay no heed to such blatant propaganda because it has one thing every other code in Australia would give anything for – actual fan-driven atmospheres.
Which makes a couple of moments over the weekend all the more frustrating.
The first came in a ho-hum season opener at AAMI Park on Friday night, when Jamie Maclaren opened the scoring after 13 minutes of Melbourne City’s eventual 2-1 win over defending champions Western United, only to see his effort ruled out by VAR.
There aren’t enough goals scored in the A-League Men as it is, so to have the opening goal of the season ruled out under such flimsy pretexts by the video referee was absurd.
If the APL plan to continue ignoring how much fans hate the pedantic meddling of VAR, then I am going to hammer them for it every week.
And speaking of hammering bone-headed behaviour, the imbeciles who threw projectiles at Victory goalkeeper Paul Izzo on Saturday night can jog on too.
They spoiled what was otherwise an almost perfect night of football – one that showcased the best of the A-League Men, and which reminded us that the competition’s unique selling point is not ‘Fantasy Football’ or charming post-match interviews with Nani, but the unrivalled atmosphere raining down from the stands.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Ok, I see it. Thanks. I agree your are correct. My figures were from the ASC figures admittedly from 2005. I didn't think it had changed. But l made no figures up, as in what you call rubbery. I stand corrected on the more recent information re participation. ------- On attendance and TV AF is King and l do notice they refer to both sports by their correct name. Someone said Tom Willis was wrongg to call it "Australian Football". How could he be wrong. He was the originator and codifier of the game. :shocked:
chris
Guest
I've given it to you earlier. But here it is again: https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results I know it makes hard reading for you. All those rubbery, made up figures in your head all comes crashing down. I'm sure your missus is impressed by your knowledge though.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Source?
chris
Guest
AFL - participation rates: 15-17yo - 138.9 thousand Football - participation rates 15-17 yo - 190 thousand AFL - participation rates 18-24yo- 149.7 thousand Football - participation rates 18-24yo - 298 thousand AFL - participation rates 25-34yo- 152.7 thousand Football - participation rates 18-24yo - 337.9 thousand And on and on it goes. No drop off.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
15-18 is where the major drop-off happens. Yes I am not struggling as you wrongly suppose. know how numbers work. That's why l said adult participation. 18 & over is adult. 15 is not adult. ------- You can't have your cake and eat it too
chris
Guest
Goodness me. It is 15 and up. Ok I'm done trying to have a sensible discussion with you. You are obviously struggling with even the most basic of graphs and numbers etc.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
15 is not 18. And l might add that that is where the drop-off of Football to RL and AF happens. ——- Maths is your friend …. apparently
chris
Guest
AFL itself doesn't offend me. People can support whatever they like. What offends me is the distortion of numbers and sense of superiority and entitlement of AFL administrators and supporters. AFL is big in half of 1 country. No more than that.
chris
Guest
Here you go: https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results For adults - football is DOUBLE what AFL participation is. 1.1million over the age of 15 for football. 550k for AFL participation over 15yo. Australians. Yes in Australia. Like I said earlier - Google is your friend.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I said in Australia we play more Australian Football at adult age than Football. Australian Sports Commission figure. We obviously disagree. But there you go. Why don't you abolish AF seeing that it offends you so much.
chris
Guest
You really don't understand very well. Im talking about Australians. Watching and playing football. They watch and play more football than AFL. Australians. In Australia.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
True, but Overall, on just about all metrics, AF is King in the Australian context. Yes overseas Football is but that's overseas, overseas people did that. In Australia we did else stuff. Pretty simple really.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
She's my fave actress Olga Kurylenko. Born Nov 14, 1979 in Ukraine. But she's a French national. I'm not obsessed by her .... at all
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
I have to admit you have beautiful eyes. :happy:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think you are unhinged
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
I won't have to hang you; you have hung yourself. Ignorance will be your epitaph.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Well you are a poor judge of character. Site, tab, blog, board post; whatever. So l used the wrong word ….. hang me :laughing: My record on here doesn’t fit with what you’ve said. But l can say with all honesty that you are ignorant. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Haha "Australian Football site" ...?? You see what I mean, It's the AFL tab you are looking for on the ROAR website. What was it again you said, you only write real facts and figures...? Never mind you have expose yourself as a real fraud enough.
chris
Guest
Sydney and Brisbane are Australian. They don't watch or play AFL as much as the other sports. Pure and simple. Have a good one.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
No, because you don't accept the truth of the matter. And you still haven't understood l was talking the Australian context. And my figures aren't rubbery.